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Woodlands Forest Elopement in Ashland, Oregon.

Willow-Witt Ranch Wedding

By Ashleigh Cropper

March 9^th, 2022

Deep in the think wooded forest outside of Ashland, Oregon is the most stunning property that is called Willow-Witt Ranch. Owned by two locals it is a working, sustainable (focused on conservation and restoration), ranch with ducks, chickens, and goats. But beyond that it is an amazing location for a wedding!

I brought together incredible local creatives to showcase the beauty of Southern Oregon and the potential for a very private, outdoorsy, woodlands themed wedding in Oregon.

A few highlights of this venue are:

Glamping tents, or the Meadow House for guests to stay at and the couple to get ready in.
A huge outdoor kitchen to allow for amazing food amenities.
Multiple locations on site for the ceremony that are very private with stunning backdrops.
All at a destination that is full of fun for guests including the farm, trails, goat hiking, exploring and a quick 20 minute drive to downtown Ashland.

Mountain landscape themed wedding invitations.

Glamping tent with bride's wedding dress hanging from tent in Ashland, Oregon.

Flowers in a basket for outdoor wedding in Ashland, Oregon.

Hiking boots for bride with outdoor wedding in Ashland, Oregon.

Wedding dress hanging from glamping tent in Ashland, Oregon.

Colorful, organic bouquet for Oregon outdoor wedding.

Hat with feathers for bride on her outdoor wedding.

Colorful bouquet for outdoor Oregon wedding.

My inspiration for this wedding was to show off what Southern Oregon has to offer with weddings! It is a hidden gem of an area to get married at.

Southern Oregon has so much to share and explore. A few of my favorite things to do are:

Walk around downtown Ashland with all the shops and restaurants. Don't miss Jupiter Row Mercantile, and grab some soup and a wrap at Pangea!
Hiking the many local trails (Grizzly Peak is a personal favorite that is right next to Willow-Witt Ranch).
Strolling through Lithia Park and all it's paths that follow Lithia Creek.
Mountain biking and it's incredible trail system through the hillsides of town.
Fishing or rafting the Rogue River.
Catching a play at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
We are even an easy 2.5 hour drive from the Oregon Coast and Brookings area. Samuel Boardman Corridor is a personal favorite to explore.

The list is endless! With our regional airport just 25 minutes away, it is a wonderful location to come visit for guests and to celebrate a wedding!

Bride getting ready at glamping tent in Ashland, Oregon.

Bride putting on hiking boots for outdoor wedding at Willow-Witt Ranch.

Bride getting ready at glamping tent in Oregon.

Bride getting ready at glamping tent in outdoor wedding.

Bride getting ready for outdoor wedding in Oregon.

Beyond just showing off Ashland and the area, I wanted to share some the vendors that make the wedding industry so amazing here in the valley:

The florals were created and foraged (yes you heard right, they went into the forest and curated florals from the meadows) by JackLily Seasonal Floral Design (ceremony pieces) and Viva Flora (bouquet, boutonniere, cake florals, tablescape). More is shared further down this post. Wait until you see the ceremony design!
Anne Cropper is a local influencer and elementary arts teacher in town. She happens to throw amazing parties too! She has an incredible eye for pulling together local items to create a vibrant, personable, and lovely curated event. From the local feathers on our bride's hat from Jupiter Row Mercantile, to Pendleton blankets made in Oregon, to a tablescape with local beeswax candles. She really created a setting that felt organic and natural to the surroundings but popped with color.
The Greenwood Studio, a local pottery studio, created lovely pieces for our table! Those pots for the florals were just the right touch! And I loved the speckled plates. They also do woodworking and provided the chargers under the plates.
Can we talk about that stunning dress? Pearl + Penna Boutique had this multi-layered dress that fit our bride perfectly. It had a little boho vibe to it and moved so naturally. It had soft lines and worked so well for a bride that loves to be comfortable, classy, and getting married outdoors.
I wanted the bride's look to be very natural and subtle, which is where Janice Moon came in with her makeup and hair skills. I have been drawn to Janice's work because it brings out the confidence in women, while letting their natural beauty radiate.

Colorful wedding cake for outdoor wedding in Oregon woods.

Bride and groom sharing vows outdoors in a field with florals in Oregon.

Inspiration for this incredible floral installment by JackLily Florals was a very creative endeavor.

Isabella, the owner, is known for her unique and powerful floral designs. She only uses what is available and sustainable in the area (part of the theme for this wedding), so all the florals you see are from the Rogue Valley and her floral farm.

We had a vision of doing an elevated meadow with florals for the ceremony. I honestly wasn't sure how Isabella would create such a masterpiece! But she sure did it! She created everything you see in the images below! With rods holding up hollowed logs that were full of poppies, sunflowers, and blossoms, it was truly a sight to be seen!

I really hope this inspires couples to think beyond what we usually see for a ceremony and imagine the endless possibilities! Also, no waste occurred from these creations which I strongly believe in with such an industry that is full of waste.

Natural, floral ceremony arrangement in Ashland, Oregon.

Natural, floral ceremony arrangement with red poppies in Ashland, Oregon.

Bride sharing vows to groom in outdoor woodlands wedding in Oregon.

Groom sharing vows with bride in outdoor elopement in Oregon.

When I am dreaming up a "styled wedding" I also look for local couples. Alex and Kevin were the perfect match for our day!

They are a real couple who live in Ashland. Alex actually used to work at Willow-Witt Ranch and that is how I found her. They met at Southern Oregon University that is also in Ashland. Kevin is a videographer and photographer in town as well.

I love to have my couples write little love notes to each other so when we are photographing the ceremony location, they get to share a few love notes. It always brings a special moment to the images that are dear and real.

Paper Girl Creative designed those little vow booklets that match the invitations. The overall design reflected the Southern Oregon Siskiyou Mountain Range and endless layered mountains you see out in the distance. The vow books were so cute and a perfect way to share their love notes.

Outdoor wedding ceremony floral arrangements.

Red poppies in floral arrangements for a wedding in Southern Oregon.

Bridal portrait in wooded forest in Southern Oregon.

Groom portrait in forest in Southern Oregon.

Bride and groom at outdoor forest wedding in Southern Oregon.

Woodlands sweetheart wedding table in forest in Oregon.

Since we had a sustainable, woodlands theme going throughout our wedding inspiration, I wanted the tablescape to really reflect those elements. I love bringing creatives together and giving them a little insight to my ideas and then watching them run with it! Anne curated many local pieces (silverware, napkins, pottery, glasses, candles).

I shared with our local rental company, Motif Rentals (who go so above and beyond), about our theme. We brought in this rustic table that fit perfectly and chairs that added some color (such fun cushions) but didn't distract from the look.

Then Viva Flora worked some magic with local moss and florals that elevated the table so much! I love the pop of color and vibrancy, and a feeling of intimacy at the setting. If I could redo my wedding day, I would want my table looking like this one in the forest!

Couples portrait with outdoor forest wedding in Oregon.

We ended the day with poppies all over the place! I felt inspired to have some poppies "growing" out of the bride's shoes. And why not let a guy wear a flower in his hair! Especially when you have thick, curly awesome hair like Kevin! It was a fun creative moment to do something different!

Poppies in bride's shoes on wedding day.

Poppy flowers growing out of bride's shoes and groom wearing a hear floral on wedding day.

Couple's portrait on wedding day with groom wearing a red poppy in hair.

Bride and groom snuggling on the ground on wedding day.

Then it was off to snuggle in the Pendleton Crater Lake Blanket (did you know each Pendleton Blanket is named after a national park? Fitting to have the one for our Oregon National Park!) It was getting cold in those mountains so I had Alex and Kevin warm up and finish with some snuggles in the meadow!

Creative, styled weddings are an incredible amount of work but watching everything come together is always inspiring.

I hope this also inspires others! I hope when you are planning your wedding that you consider Southern Oregon. Getting married here between end of May to beginning of July is the perfect timing for enjoying those long Oregon summer days and saying "I do!"

Bride and groom snuggling together with Pendleton blanket on wedding day.

Bride and groom kissing with Pendleton blanket wrapped around them after forest wedding in Oregon.

Bride and groom laughing together with Pendleton blanket wrapped around them.

Bride and groom wrapped in Pendleton blanket at outdoor Oregon wedding.

Bride and groom wrapped in Pendleton blanket at Oregon forest wedding.

Wedding Vendor Team:

Photography- Red Aspen Photography
Styling- Anne Cropper
Florals- JackLily Seasonal Floral Design & Viva Flora
Wedding Dress and Jewelry: Pearl + Penna Bridal
Makeup: Janice Moon
Rentals: Motif Event Rentals
Pottery and wood charger: The Greenwood Estate
Stationary: Paper Girl Creative
Models: Alex + Kevin
Venue: Willow- Witt Ranch

Ashleigh is the photographer of Red Aspen Photography. To follow more of her work visit her website and Instagram. To contact inquiry about Ashleigh's work please reach out here.